Annotated Game #1: Anarchy on the Chessboard

   One of the things I've come to observe over my first two years of chess is here is a creative doppelganger tucked away somewhere in every chess player's brain that loves beautiful combinations and stunning positional ideas, but above all loves to watch the world of general chess principles burn.

   This blog is about that creative doppelganger and situations where normal chess rules just don't apply.

    Early in the month of April, I had just come off of a break from Slow Chess League play due to excess stress about both my games and my schedule. It had become almost a pattern: I would play 2 games a week for two months and then take a break when it became too much pressure. My score in February was a dismal 1.5/7.

    So I signed up for only 1 game per week in April, in the hopes that it would be less stressful. And one week later, it seems to have worked. Some characteristic bad habits still showed. But at least I was consistent.

And rather ironically, it's the hardest part of chess... So does that mean all chess players are screwups?

    I like this game because, at least in the fanciful variations, everything goes topsy-turvy: White pushes pawns and opens lines in front of his own King, yet Black's is in far more danger. Black is poised to open the h-file facing a backward h3-pawn, and yet the queen on h4, supposedly Black's best piece, ends up nearly trapped. He ends up with a tall pawn on h7, a bad Qf8 and Rh8 and a permanent central King because of White's ridiculous play.

    And there's something in my mind that loves the thought of chess rules being upended.

 My next post will likely be the opener of the "brutal honesty" series in which I explore the habits and problems that keep me from improving.  See you then!